Shaft drive Vs. Chain

Discuss.

 

shaft:
pro's - less maintenance
con's - not as efficient transfer of power from engine to rear wheel

chain:
pro's - more efficient transer of power from engine to rear wheel
con's - more maintenance

 

I'll go with chain, simply due to less weight and less transmission loss.

(I like light quick big bikes)

BUUUUUUUUUUUUUT, if I were going for big miles I'd want to keep maintanence to a minimum, so shaft it'd be.

 

shaft:
pros - clean
cons - expensive to repair/replace

Chain:
pros - cheap to replace when it fails/wears out
cons - need to replace more frequently

 

I'll go with chain, simply due to less weight and less transmission loss.

(I like light quick big bikes)

BUUUUUUUUUUUUUT, if I were going for big miles I'd want to keep maintanence to a minimum, so shaft it'd be.

 

There is also supposed to be a 'lift' on the suspension when power is rolled off with shaft drive ,with an effect on handling on corners,is this true or not i cant say i've really expeirienced that on both of my XJ's.

 

all bikes lift but it's when power is rolled on
just a matter of how much

 

Shaft Drive: Quiet, reliable, more HP loss, Expensive to repair if it breaks( I have been on shaft drive Yamahas for 25 years and have never had to repair one)
Chain Drive: Less HP loss, Noisy, replace chain often, sprockets also wear out. More expensive in the long run to maintain. Have you ever had a chain break and hit you in the leg....OUCH

 

I was way out int the middle of BFE one time when a chain broke on me. Made for a Loooooonnng afternoon of walking.

If I had the choice, I'd go with a shaft.

 

I've had both, but I don't really notice any difference in
performance or feel. The shaft is cleaner and less maint.
Never had a belt drive.

 

i have one of each
the chain drive is kind of a pain, but maintenance is so much easier(changing tire, brakes and such)
the shaft drive is so nice until something happens requiring removal

ride the chain drive daily and love it

 

The biggest difference to me is gearing.
With a shafty, that's it, you run what you got!
With chain, cheap sprog changes can turn your bike into a redline hitting, front wheel lifting rocket off the line, or a nice sedate, long distance machine with low revs and great gas mileage.

 

Final drive ratios can be changed with chain drive. Just change front and/or rear sprockes sizes. Shaft drive you are stuck with what you have.

 

i'll concede that's a big plus for chains.

 

Shaft!

Almost no maintenance, no noise plus my back tire and rim stay clean

 

I found that the shaft drive can make the rear wheel jump around quite a bit. I just take care not to drop throttle too abruptly.

And, apologies, but I have another (slightly) off-topic question:
Are there torque supports available for the XJs with shaft drive, like they are for other brands, to prevent the above from happening?

 

I spun out in the rain today when I lifted suddenly about 20 mph.

 

Yes, I just HAD to pull a wheelie on that Honda 900F- -
four grand, no clutch, some body English,
Noticable squat in the rear, as I had gotten used to the XJ900's lift.

From a bike magazine in the '80's- -
Shaft drives consume 5 % of your horsepower, chains use 2% , meaning a transverse shaftie is 3 % less efficient.
However, a longitudinal shaftie (Gold wing, BMW, Moto Guzzi) only has one 90* gear sets, and would use 2 1/2 % , on par with a chain.

 

with yamahas, shafties can change their gearing a little bit- maxim's use 16 inch rear rims and seca's use 18... so if you have a maxim and want a cruiser with a little lower rev's and better mpg, or a fast accelerating seca- toss on the 16 inch rim

 

After changing my shaft drive maxim to my chain drive gsx I don't really notice much of a differance!! the chain requires more attention for sure but I've never really noticed the sound complaint some people have and since the bikes are so different, (maxim 650 cruiser vs GSX 750 sport bike) the feel and performance are to different to compare mostly I just love to ride!!!

Shaun